Children of the North who never knew their parents:

Govt does its utmost to find foster parents

By R. Krishnaswamy

A state of destitution of any human being is traumatic and unfortunate. But destitution of infants and children who have been either abandoned by their parents or separated from them under unforeseen circumstances with no kith and kin to take charge and care for them but left to grow in orphanages is heart-rending and distressing. A large majority of the children are those who were in the LTTE's "Senthalir" orphanages near Pudukudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District. They were there from early childhood having been separated from their parents under various unexplained circumstances. Mullaitivu being one of the worst affected districts of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, many of the children had lost their parents, family members, relatives and friends.

Some of the girls at the Vavuniya Kovilkulam Agilandeswari Arulagam on their way to attend tuition classes

Visiting three of the five orphanages in Vavuniya where over 700 destitute children were being cared for, we observed with a heavy heart to what unbelievable levels of misery and destitution to which the once proud, dignified and enterprising Tamil community of the North has been reduced by the LTTE terrorist outfit during the over last two decades. The children, many of them infants and some adolescents, were being cared for in the five children's homes in the heart of Vavuniya town run by charities, especially Hindu and Christian religious charities.

First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa is patron of one of the Children's Homes, "Siriliya Sevana".

About 52 girls are being housed in it and is being managed by the Northern Provincial administration under the patronage and directions of the First Lady. The home was declared open by her on 27th of June, 2010 and the plaque which she unveiled on that occasion is displayed at the building.

A two-page advertisement in a Tamil language daily a few days ago with 1" x 1" bust pictures of over 75 children in the age group of 2 years to 10 years seeking their identity from the public prompted us to visit three of the children's homes in Vavuniya.

The advertisement was placed by the Commissioner of Probation and Child Care of the Northern Province. These are among the other children who had either been abandoned by their parents or separated from them under unforseen circumstances.

Governor of the Northern Province, Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri was good enough to give permission to the Sunday Observer to visit the homes together with an official of the Probation and Child Care Department. We visited three of the five children's homes together with Probation Officer R. Gokuladas and talked to some of the children, selecting them at random. We also talked to several young women who serve as baby-sitters, Sisters of the Christian Order and those in overall charge of the homes. Probation Officer Gokuladas told us that all children were handed over to them through the Courts and they, in turn, entrusted them to the orphanages for upkeep under their direct monitoring on a day-to-day basis.

In spite of every effort that they made it was not possible for them to trace the parents, kith and kin or relatives of a large majority of the children and they have been able to unite only a small number of them (86) with their parents. The probation office was paying only Rs.600 to each child per month while those in charge of the homes doing an excellent job, sending them to school, conducting tuition classes five days a week, Monday to Friday, providing school uniforms and clothes, all meals and keeping them happy and unperturbed, Gokuladas said. They are fully devoting their waking hours to the welfare of the children, he said.

Children below the age of 10 can be given for adoption to married couples. A request has to be made in writing to the Probation and Child Care office for handling the legal aspect of the such adoptions and final order has to be issued by the District Judge, Gokuladas said.